Do they look like stress turtles to you?

Someone has been posting interesting comments on my blog lately. I am not going to contradict him because as long as he/she writes his/her comments in polite words, I wouldn’t delete the comment at all nor attack him/her. Every opinion will be publish regardless how different it is to my opinion.

The first comment, he shares about his pet turtle that he rescued once, in addition he pointed out this:

Turtles are not like dogs. Being handled in excess creates intense stress on them, which in turn weakens their immune system.

And then he posted another one recently which sounds like this: ( some part of the comment is for other people)

He bit you because turtles do not like to play. Reptiles are not mammals. They have a strong survival instinct. They like to be left alone. It is less stress on them.Would you feel happy having a giant person as tall as a 10 story building, handling you all the time? The person below can’t even find their turtles. Do you know why?Because they don’t like to be handled or held captive, and have tried to escape the torture. People on here that want to handle their turtles and try to train them are seffish, and are only looking to impress other people. When your turtle dies, years before the 20-40 years that they are supposed to live, then you will be crying. And it will be your own fault for being so foolishly selfish.

What he wrote makes me wonder:

Do my turtles look like stress turtles to you?

Do you think they see me as a scary giant?

Am I really being selfish?

Yes, I admit I have that feeling of trying to impress people by sharing how wonderful my turtles are…but then again, isn’t everyone always try to impress others with how wonderful their pets are…regardless what the pets are?

I never meant to train them, never meant to try taming them…all I did (and do) since I got them was trying to provide them with love and care. Yes I am treating them more than just a reptile, I treat them like everyone treating their pets. I guess, if that makes me a selfish person, then be it because I am not going to treat them like they are some swimming fishes.

I, as selfish as I can be, never saw them being stressed because I handle them too much. But still, I wonder what all of you think of my turtles?

This video was taken early this morning…looking at him (Kurome) I know he isn’t scared of me at all, I know I am not a scary giant to him…but people might think differently.

I admire you for posting his opinion, because yes, you are right, people have a right to voice their opinions if they state them respectfully. I think a few times he wasn’t that respectful though. I have been following you for a loooong time (you know I think I was one of your first followers) and I have ALWAYS known you to show your turtles nothing but immense love, consideration and caring. It was thanks to you and your blog that I developed a love of turtles and I learned so much about them. Your turtles are definitely not stressed in my opinion! You are right, we all want to show off our pets that we love and why should you feel any differently about your turtles? I think you are a fabulous turtle Mama and I will ALWAYS think so! xoxoxo

So true. Basically we are on the same track it’s not that we want to impress other people it’s that we want to tell them that turtles are just like any other pet. Even though they don’t seem cute(well too most of us like me they seem cute on the outside and inside) doesn’t mean that they don’t have cute feelings. Hope you understand what I mean

I don’t really know much about turtles. And have little first hand experience with them. But I would think if yours are scared of you or stressed out, that they would run away from you and hide. Since they follow you around and try to get closer to you, it sure seems as if they’re not afraid of you or view you as a threat. And they’re not attacking you like they would if they felt in danger.

I think we often think of animals in very simplistic terms, and think they’re not smart enough to figure out what’s going on, or not smart enough to adapt. I think animals in general are vastly more intelligent and sophisticated than we give them credit for.

I am no turtle expert, but I also think the same as you…they aren’t running away from me so I assume that they are not afraid of me. Every morning, my turtles wake up earlier than me and then Kroten always stays next to my bed waiting for me to wake up (even though I put her far from my bed).

I know that many sites say that Turtles shouldn’t be handled too much because they will be stressed out…but I always think that animals know human’s feeling more than what most people think

I’m not a turtle expert, but seeing how they respond so positively to you and walk into your hand of their own accord tells me they’re not scared of you, stressed, or trying to escape – just the opposite, from what I’ve seen. Whatever you’re doing, you’re doing it right, with their well-being in mind.

I’m a kitty fancier myself, and no expert on turtles either, but from all I see of the way your babies eagerly seek to follow you around, begging for attention, and wanting nothing more than to snuggle up on you when you lie on the floor I couldn’t beleive they feel any stress about being with you. They seem happy and calm to me.

However… as with any animal… when you first get them, they can sometime take a while to get used to being with their human. I think yours have long since passed that phase and like all the love and attention now. I wouldn’t worry if I were you.

Sometimes, I wonder how to be treated and loved by big giant too, just like small pet loved by us.
Well, I have some question for you. You don’t need to answer, just ponder these:
Why are they chasing you?
Can you define the word “Stress”, “Impress”, “Selfish” again?
What do you think about torture?
What are your proof to against those (your 3 question)? Or are those true?
What do you think about that man opinion, with the new perspective, not the one that you’ve state in this post? (if your statement still the same, then you need to ponder the previous question)

I don’t think your turtles are stressed at all. I’ve seen ones in the pet shop who are in water without any platform to rest on and they look distressed. You always make sure your turtles are comfortable.
All of us who blog about our pets want to share our babies with the world because they are special I don’t think that makes us selfish or unkind, it’s not like you are making your turtles work or do anything unreasonable.
Sending you all big hugs xxx

Alhumdullilah, your turtles are beautiful and it’s cute watching your turtles interact with you. I have three turtle which are different sizes. I had two of them for about 2 months and the other one only a few weeks. It took some time to adjust to their new home but once settled in they became extremely friendly. They love being touched and hand fed, you can say they are spoiled..lol! I would let them roam the house freely but I have little ones so I have to be cautious. I love showing them love and attention! Turtles are beautiful, unique, peaceful, friendly pets. I love them🙂